Method of manufacturing gas.



ELA. CARPENTER 6L D. 1D. BARNUM.

METHOD 0FA MANUFACTURING GAS. i. APPLICATIQN FILED JULY 24,1913. Y

Patented- May 18, 1915. l

m PV lmw t connections between. the superposed retorts Specification o lette;

1aed-ria Application ile July' 2471 To cil w om 1' t may' concern.'

Be itlmown that we, Henny A. CARPE TER antillaise. B. Banania, citizens oi the United States, residing at Sewickley and 1ililoreester, respectively, in the counties of4 Allegheny and: Vv'orcester, respectively, and States Iof Pennsylvania 'and' ll'lassachusetts,

respectively, have invented certain new and u useful:'inprovemei'its in Methods of Manufacturing Gas, of which the following is a specification.

The prime object of our invention is to provide a new and improved method for the manufacture of gas. v

They apparatus-illustrated'lin the present invention relates to thetype. or gas retort constructions shown in United States Letf 'ters Patent 'Number 1,091,111, of March 24e,

As illustrated. in said patent and asshown herein, we employ several Vertical rows oi horizontally disposed. retorts and a stand pipe interposed between two' vertical rows of retorts and in communication with the several retorts oi two adjacent rows, whereby gas distilled in the said retorts is introduced to a stand pipe common to the two adjacent rows.

ln the accompanying drawing, which illustrates an a'ijiparatus for carrying out our method of manufacturing gas, Figure l is a front elevational view of a portion of a stack of gas retorts; Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional View particularly showing a portion of a stand-pipe and vvalve controlled and the stand-pipe; Fig. 3 is a detailed View of the valve operating mechanism; and Fi g. 4 is a diagrammatic View showing an ofi.'- take pipe located at the top of tne stack of retorts in place'of being at the bottom as shown by Fig. l, and a gas exhauster and connections between the exhauster and-the off-take pipe.

Referring to thel drawing, l--l designate vertically extending stand-pipes, one of the pipes being arranged between two adjacent vertical rows of horizontally disposed retorts 2, and the other stzinci`1'iipc arranged in connection with a single row. As illustrated. all off' the retorts of each row are connected with a stand-pipe common thereto, or more particularly the mouth-pieces 3 of s latezit.

sern no. reas-sc.

'the retorts are directly connected with the stand-pipes.

ln the form of Fig. l, the standspipes l are shown in communication with an oil'- talrepipe 4f located at or ends of the saidstandf-pipes, thereby `enahling the gas introduced into-the common stand-pipe from the several retorts of the adjacent rows of retorts or of a single row tobe carried take pipe e# y 4 y ln the forni of our invention as illustrated by Fig. Ll, we show the cti-take pipe 5 'located at the top of the stack of benches and the pipes l in communication with the'on take pipe 5, thus enabling the gas to if.: carried 0H atthe top of the stack insteadvot at the bottoni thereof as in the forin'of Figil f Under our method of manufacturing gas,` as will be more particularly hereinafter shown, we dispense with the usual water seal into which-the pipes leading from the retorts to the olf-take pipe are dipped.

(Qorrununicationl between the stand-pipes and the lseveralr retorts is controlled by means oi' a valve mechanism including, as shown, a valve proper-6 adapted, when in closed position, to rest upon' a seat 7 ofthe mouthpiece, a bent arm 8, a horizontally extending shaft 9 projecting outwardly from the mouth-piece and having its-bearing i'n a casing 10. adapted to engage a tool, not shown, Whereby the mechanism is actuated. By means of the Valve mechanism, We control the passage of gas from the respective retorts to .the stand-pipes, thereby enabling us to shut olf at will the discharge of gas from anyone or more ofthe retorts to the commonr standy pipe.

In carrying out our method of manufac.

turing illuminating gas, with two adjacent vertical rows of retorts, or wtha single row the retorts are charged and discharged intermittently as to elevation at predetermined intervals. By charging and discharging the individual retorts out of vertical sur' "'ion as by a sequence whicli'would se'iaizlte successively charged retorts Aby one or more intervening rctoms that isolate the retort being charged from that previously charged, thus providing for charging internear the lower The outer end of shaft '9 is.

temperature l from a., retort to a stand pipe is relatively short and formed with of abrupt bends in advance of the stand pipe, the structure of the embodiment shown having but the single bend leading from the retort into the lateral, with the remainder of the path substantially straight. As a resultthe--gasmis subjected to a minimum tort to the stand pipe, and hence practically :eliminates the accumulation of pressure as back pressure) in the retortdur- (known the carbonization ing the early stages of period when the fresh charge is giving o its largest volume of gas. Back pressure Within a retort formed of refractory materials will tend to cause leakage of gas through the retort Walls and possibly at the lid of the 'mouth piece, and the only relief 'for such condition is to increase the vacuum all 1 the retortsare formed l son of the practical elimination of pressure, the exhauster mechanism preserves fering from the others, vacuum would tend to produce a somewhat being to induce action ofthe stand pipe exhauster in order -t0.balance the stand pipe and retort pressures.

As a plurality of retorts are connected to the stand pipe, with each retort delivering gas of a carbonization stage diflarge increase in opposite effect on the retorts in which carbonization is Well advanced, the tendency leakage of the products of the retort, especially vvhere sectionally. By reasuch back combustion into the desired uniformities of pressure Without wide variations so thatthe gas in each individual retort will be generated in substantially uniform carbonization stages throughout the carbonization period,l especially withV respect to temperature, quality' and volume,

. the carbonizationperiod of each retort havvthat thefl'ow path i an-'l labor, and thus minimizes 4 a substantially uniform cycle of carbonization stages, the stages representing changes'in temperature, quality and volume, as is usual in this art. It will also be seen to the stand pipe is so arranged as to render it accessible substantially throughout its length .vhen the retort is opened for charging, so that such deposits in the path as may be produced during a carbonization period can be quickly ing and readily removed. This permits of cleaninf! with a minimum expenditure of time the period of A into the stand pipe with a a minimum number' exposure of the flow path to the atmosphere, preventing undue chilling. And with the flow path thus readily cleaned, it may be placed in substantially the same condition at the beginning of each carbonization period, with the result that the deposit will be substantially uniform during the period.

hIt is characteristic of the invention ythat t e regular or uniform action throughout the several stages of the carbonization period, the gas stream .from each retort preserving its individualit until it enters the stand pipe. As the simu taneous deliveries are of stages differing from each other as to temperature,quality and volume, there is provided such action within the standpipe as will result in a. diffusion therein of the several deliveries, thereby practically destroying the individuality of the several streams and producing an outflow of gas from the stand pipe which /is substantially uniform in, temperature,

.This substantial uniquality and volume.

if formity of stand pipe outtlvv will vary with variations in the number of retorts connected to the stand pipe, the variations decreasing as the numberA of retorts so connected increase, this being due to the in.- creased number of chargings in the series of retorts during the length of timecorresponding to a carbonization period of'a single retort and thereby, decreasing the time interval between successive chargings. In other Words, increasing the number of retorts has the effect of increasing the number of different carbonization stages activein the stand pipe at the same time. l Obviously, the .delivery of the individual streams in approximately definite stage cycles enables the definite relationship between stages being delivered `to be substantially maintained.

The advantages of the' uniform conditions in the stand'pipe produced by, the diffusion of the individual deliveriesivill b e readily understood. The uniformity as ltotemperagas from each retort will bedelivered ture' results from thefact that the delivery of one stage may he at 5000 l". While that of `another is at 1200'J F., these beingthe approximate .rangesof temperatures, the number of variations between these temperatures depending upon the number of retorts which communicate-with the stand pipe. The diffusion of the severaldeliveries Willtend to produce an `approximately uniform temperature. the variations beingf'greater or less according to `the number of retorts which are delivering. As one of the ymain causes of stoppages in a stand pipe individual to a single retort isthe wide variation in temperature during-'a carbonization period, it `.vil be readily perceived that b v reducing these variations as to produce an. approximately uniformy tempt-rature in the stand pipe, this cause for stoppages vfillibe greatly fusion. of the individual deliveries is more rapid owing to the relatively wide differences in conditions existing between the de? liveries of adjacent retorts. By reason of the ability to rapidly clean the path leading to the stand pipe and the substantiall uniform efect produced within the stan pipe, the effect of stoppages, as a material element in the cost of gas manufacture is reduced to a minimum 4ln the practice of our'method, a gas exL 'hauster 1l in communication with elther a 'bottom of a top take-oit pipe is employed,

and, as illustrated by thedrawing, the gas exhauster 11 is connected with .the top oitake pipe 5 by means-of a pipe 12. By the employment of the independent valve contro ling communication between each of the retortsvand the stand-pipes, and the omission of the usual water seal into which, the pipes leading from the retorts are entered, we are enabled by means of the exhauster to maintain a direct pull on the stand-pipes andthe various retorts and obtain a very desirable regulation of vacuum on the retorts.

What we claim is i 1. Inf the manufacture of coal gas, the method herein described of reducing standpipe stoppage, consisting in discharging gas rom a plurality of generating retorts directly into a vertical path formed by a stand-pipe and common to all of said retorts,

and timing the charging with coal of each retort relatively to the charging of all the f other retorts to maintain the temperature of v said vvertical path substantially uniform.

In the manufacture of coal gas, the method herein described of reducing stand- .pipe stoppage, consisting indischarging gas simultaneously from a plurality of generating retorts directly and through relatively short lateral paths into a vertical path being formed by a stand-pipe and common to all the retorts, and timing the charging with `coal of each retort relatively to.the charging of vall the other retorts to maintain the temperature of said vertical path substantially uniform.

3.- ln the ymanufacture of. coal gas, the

method herein described of reducing stan-dpipe stoppage, consisting in discharging gas from a'plurality of generating retorts directly and in lateral direction into a vertical path formed'by a stand-pipe and ,with'the gas entering said path-A at different elevations, and timing'the chargingrof each revertical path, said tort with coal relatively to the 'chargingof form.

.4. In the manufacture of coal gas, the

method herein described f reducing stand.-

pi sto age, consisting in4 chargin a griiiip ofligtorts with coal at different tgnes and thereby creating overla ping carbonization peri s, the time of c erging each retort of the group being remote from the time of charging the retorts nearest thereto and thereby minimizing 'variation in tem, perature of the retorts and of the gaseous output thereof, maintaining direct communication between each retort during its carbcnization period and a vertical path with said path formed b a stand-pipe common to all the retorts, an timin the charging of each retort relatively to the charging o all the other retorts to maintain the tempera.- ture of 'said path substantially uniform.

5. In the manufacture of coal gas,the'

kstream within said vertical path substantially uniform in quality, temperature and volume.

6. In the manufacture ofA coal gas, thel method herein described, consisting in discharging gas simultaneously from a plurality of generating retorts directly into a vertical path formed by' a stand-pipe, said path common to all the retorts and proportioned relatively to thelatter to forestall back pressure in any retort, and timin with coal of each yretort re atively to the charging of all the other retorts to maintain a, gaseous stream within said path of substantially uniform volume.

msr

4rois' the charging y Invtestimony whereof we ailix our signaturesin presence of two witnesses.

HENRY A. CARPENTER. Witnesses: 4 l

W. G. DooLrT'rm, F. E. Gurnee. DANA D. BARNUM. Witnesses:

FRANK C. SMITH, Jr., HELEN Ross. 

